Borg Predicts Faster Recovery

At the extra conference of Sweden’s conservative Moderate Party, Finance Minister Anders Borg predicated Saturday that the Swedish economy will recover faster than those of other European countries.

The conservative Moderates are the largest party in the four party center-left government. Borg sold the conference that as tax revenues start to increase and as expenditures are lower than previously forecast, there will be room for more measures to meet the crisis.

The most important move, he said, would be stopping the rise in unemployment. Borg also repeated the government’s position that it will not try to help the Saab automobile company by taking a share in the ailing unit as it is spun off by General Motors.

But the conference voted against the party leadership on several key issues. Delegates voted to ease rules on labor immigration, as well for a motion calling for an increase in the number of nuclear reactors here. The party leadership wants to replace old reactors as they wear out, but not add to the current total of ten reactors, in keeping with the agreement with the other parties in the coalition.

The Young Conservatives, however, lost in their attempt to pass a motion to repeal the “last-in/first-out” provision of Sweden’s work security legislation.